Department of Student Life diverts money from diversity fee

Diversity groups were not notified of a transfer of $30,771 for the equipment reserve fund.

By Amanda Wysocki

Published Dec. 11, 2008

The Department of Student Life diverted $30,771 from the diversity fee to the equipment reserve fund, and the groups the fee is supposed to benefit want that money back.

None of the groups that benefit from the diversity fee were informed of the transfer including Four Front Co-Chairwoman Bria Scudder.

"I learned that she hadn't been consulted about the transfer," said Missouri Students Association Senate Speaker Jonathan Mays. "That's when I became concerned."

All students pay this $3.18 fee reserved for all groups involved in Four Front, an umbrella organization serving all minority groups on campus. These groups include the Legion of Black Collegians, the Hispanic American Leadership Organization, the Asian American Association and the Triangle Coalition.

Of the nearly $132,000 collected through the diversity fee, only $86,000 was spent on these minority groups.

"I was very concerned that the funds were being used for equipment," LBC President Anthony Martin said. "They should have discussed it with the student leaders the money was being taken from before they reallocated it."

Because these groups did not get as much money as had originally been planned, some of these organizations were forced to make cuts.

"We did have to cut some funding to getting certain things for LBC," Martin said. "We were trying to get some new equipment. There were a lot of logistic things that we had cut back money from because the money was gone."

MSA passed a resolution to keep the diversity fee at $3.18 for next year. MSA Senate Operations Committee Vice Chairman Josh Travis proposed an amendment to the resolution that would reduce the Student Life fee by $0.62 or approximately what was taken from each student and put into the equipment reserve fund. The $0.62 would then be reallocated to the diversity fund.

At the MSA Senate meeting Wednesday night, an amendment was proposed that would instead reduce the Student Life fee by 31 cents and reallocate that money to the diversity fund as a compromise in the new fiscal year.

"We're doing our best to return as much of the FY08 diversity fee as possible to its proper place while being fiscally responsible with the fee's total FY10 allocation," Mays said.

Martin said he is glad to see that MSA is trying to reallocate the funds back for its original purpose.

"I just hope that everything gets sorted out before next year when we're going to need some of this money," Martin said.

Along with the removal of 25.5 percent of the diversity fee, each group allowed to use these funds was allotted $250 for the year.

The nature of the equipment reserve fund and what it is used for remains unclear.

"This is a very blatant misuse of student fees," Travis said. "A specific definition of the equipment fund would be very interesting to know, but it has no standing. The fee was created to aid in programs that minority student groups sought to put together and that purpose has not been achieved.